The Twitterverse was abuzz about the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce 62nd Annual Dinner. The quotes below are translated from Twitterese:

“It’s a stellar #Who’sWho at the Annual Dinner. These 1,000 people will create #FuturePerfect.”
– Madison Region Economic Partnership

“After events like the Annual Dinner with a great speech by Steven Johnson it’s easy to be proud of the Greater City of Madison.”
– Brad Reitzner, M3 Insurance

“Thanks Zach Brandon for bringing such a great innovator (keynote speaker Steven Johnson) to Madison.”
– Ruth Rohlich, business development specialist, City of Madison.

For the second year in a row, the event sold out to a crowd of 1,000 business professionals. This year, tickets were gone in record time… just three weeks.

“When I looked out over the crowd, one table stood out as symbolizing the power – and need – of human connections to achieve Greater Madison’s future perfect,” said Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce President Zach Brandon. “One table had two members from a family with deep historic roots in the Greater Madison business community. These brothers are now community philanthropists and had not been to a Chamber event in years. They were sitting next to entrepreneurs from our startup community and were engaged in a lively discussion of Greater Madison’s history and how it pertains to our future. We couldn’t be more proud of the Chamber’s role in making those types of connections happen… before the Annual Dinner, at the Annual Dinner and well beyond this event.”

Sept. 18 the room quickly filled with members from the startup community, CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, leaders of the Ho-Chunk nation, government officials and many more. The business community gathered to network and listen to a highly-anticipated keynote presentation by Steven Johnson, a visionary thinker, best-selling author and TV host of a PBS series on innovation.

After an extended networking time, Zach addressed guests, emphasizing the importance of understanding our history in order to shape our future. He cited a book by the Madison Board of Commerce—the chamber’s inaugural name—written in 1914 saying… “Madison is not a perfect city but the future city.’

Local historian and author David Mollenhoff added historic perspective to the evening, observing that 100 years ago community leaders knew that keeping bright minds in Madison was essential to the region reaching its potential.

Dave Wittwer, board chair of the Greater Madison Chamber and president of TDS, expressed kinship with earlier leaders. “We’re in a different room, at a different time,” he said. “But much of the energy is the same.”

The Madison Board of Commerce motto, “Keep the cream in Madison,” is still applicable, said Tom Still, Wisconsin Technology Council president and featured speaker.

Speakers discussed entrepreneurship in greater Madison, celebrating the community’s ability to attract such bright lights as Google and Zendesk. Then Steven took the stage, lauding Madison’s focus on maintaining a knowledge economy.

Change often starts with a hunch, rather than a eureka moment, and frequently has unintended consequences, he noted. And collaboration breeds change, where one innovation builds on another. “Together we’re smarter,” he said. “And, chance favors the connected mind.”

Zach closed the evening saying, “Chance also favors the human connection. The importance of connecting and staying connected is the central role of the Chamber and that is how we help you succeed.” He strongly encouraged collaboration among businesspeople, not only through formal business events but also through face-to-face interactions in shared spaces like 100 State, Sector67 and the planned StartingBlock Madison.

Along with the well-received presentations, attendees received an updated version of the 1914 Madison Board of Commerce book about greater Madison, titled Past Forward: A Reflection on the Past and a Vision for the Future. All were enthusiastic about the announcement of raffle-ticket winners. Miles Tokheim of the Madison Metropolitan School District garnered the grand prize—two business-class airline tickets from Emirates to any of its destinations worldwide, a $25,000 value.

A huge thank you to MGE, our diamond sponsor and Past Forward title sponsor. A special note to ETC, our stage sponsor as well as all of our amazing sponsors listed above in the sponsor tab. Without you, the evening wasn’t possible.

But most of all, a thank you to our amazing Greater Madison business community. Our headlines says it all, the future wouldn’t be perfect without you.

Last year we re-energized the region’s premier networking event, bringing you new ideas and providing even greater opportunities to connect with fellow business leaders and up-and-coming entrepreneurs in our community. The 62nd Annual Dinner is an opportunity to learn and connect deeper into the business community. It is right where you want your business to be. Where it needs to be. The businesses that attend are as diverse as the many levels of sponsorship opportunities available. We would be excited to share more details and walk you through a variety of ways to gain high-level, quality exposure for your company. Contact RJ Pire today.

58th Annual Dinner “Why And How Even the Most Intelligent Cities Are Developing 20/20 Foresight”Date: October 7, 2010Keynote Address: Dr. Colin Harrison | Director of IBM’s Corporate Strategy Team, Creator of the “Smart Cities” initiative at the IBM Research Lab in Zurich, Switzerland

2014 Keynote Speaker

Steven Johnson: Steven explores the power and the legacy of great ideas, why and how ideas happen, and their sometimes unintended results. Steven’s upcoming book, How We Got to Now, has inspired a six-part PBS series of the same name – scheduled to debut in October. His bestselling book to date, Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation, was also the subject of his popular TED talk attracting more than 2.6 million views. Steven’s last book, Future Perfect: The Case for Progress in a Networked Age, proposes that a new model of political change is on the rise transforming everything from local government to classrooms to health care. He is a contributing editor to Wired magazine and has appeared on many high-profile television programs, including The Charlie Rose Show and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

Kudos to the Chamber and the Small Business Advisory Council for the creation of the Road Construction Survival Guide. It connects the affected businesses with the city departments and the construction company in charge. The regular meetings and contact with the correct people makes a huge difference in coping.

Teena Browder, Cork ‘n Bottle

My small business has a voice in local politics with the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce, I have a voice here. We’re all business people and we look at the bottom line. The return on investment from my Chamber membership and the advocacy it provides is far above what I get from other organizations.

Tim Lightner, Owner, Two Men and a Truck

The Chamber has worked tirelessly to promote the interests of the local business community, and to create and preserve the conditions that allow businesses to thrive, for the good of the entire community. I can think of no organization that is better equipped to guide us through this time than the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce, and we all owe it our full support, to our mutual benefit.

David Stark, President, Stark Company Realtors

The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce has been an excellent resource for my small business. The Chamber provides multiple channels for business awareness, networking opportunities and helpful educational programs. Being a member of the Chamber has really made a difference in helping expand my business visibility, growth and development in Dane County.

John Vardallas, CAE, Founder/CEO, The American BoomeR Consulting Group